Cutting the cost of death

Michael McWeeney/Staten Island AdvanceFuneral Director John Scalia, holding an urn in the casket showroom of his Eltingville funeral home, pointed to a recent increase in cremations. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- One very good reason you can't take it with you: The money's needed right here, on this mortal coil, to finesse your exit.

Funerals rank among the most expensive consumer purchases. Staten Island funeral directors say the sum can easily reach over $14,000, when a burial plot is included.

While the cost can be considerably less elsewhere, the average funeral in the United States still costs $6,500, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.

So it's no coincidence that cremation is gaining favor as an affordable alternative.

The New York area's cremation rate is around 19 percent, up from approximately 17 percent a year ago, according to John Vincent Scalia of the John Vincent Scalia Home for Funerals, Eltingville.

"Sometimes people choose cremation because of a lack of funds. Sometimes it's an option people had been thinking about for a long time and they feel it's OK," Scalia said.

Direct cremation, which doesn't include embalming or visitation, is much less expensive than direct burial or traditional services. The cost for direct cremation at a crematory ranges from $125 to $160, a bargain compared to burial plots in the five boroughs that can run between $4,200 and $7,800.

Other expenses, which could be incurred in a cremation, are the funeral home's custom services, which include preparing the body for the wake, chapel rental and the purchase of a casket. In the case of a cremation, renting a casket makes more economic sense.

"Rental caskets help the funeral homes help the families," said Shawn J. Stradford, licensed funeral director and founder of the Stradford Funeral Home, Tompkinsville. "It makes it economical for the families, and they don't have to break their necks paying for something when the money isn't there."

The average casket costs slightly more than $1,300; some mahogany, bronze or copper caskets sell for as much as $10,000. The cost of a rental casket, in conjunction with a full service at a church, can be $1,395 to $2,900.

Stradford suggests that people consider pre-need arrangements to help relieve their families of having to make decisions.

"It's always great when they come in and do pre-arrangements, because they can sit and make educated decisions. The person knows exactly what they want and they'll just have to relay back to their loved ones what they're getting," Stradford said.

He recalls an instance in which a family was shocked to learn that the deceased had cashed in his life insurance policy.

"It was very unfortunate and really sad because at that point they had to try to figure out where to get the funds for the service," he said.

That circumstance is apt to become more common: The terrible economy is forcing folks to cash their life insurance policies to pay for other expenses.

"We have had people cash out policies. They will come in and say, 'The policy was worth this. We're getting ready to cash that out and split it.' With a $20,000 policy, they'll use $10,000 for the service and the remainder for whatever they need it for," said Stradford.

Funeral homes also offer bereavement counseling, assistance with life insurance policies, Social Security and veterans' paperwork, and other services.

Contrary to popular belief, the funeral business is not recession-proof. Stradford recalls that in 2008, when gas prices were climbing, vendors passed along fuel expenses to the funeral homes.

"If I could have made my own caskets, I would have. ... They were hitting us hard with gas surcharges. But the people here are very understanding," said Stradford, who has not had to lay off workers. "At times, I've had to cut back on hours."

Funeral homes can price themselves out of business.

"Not every funeral director is cut from the same cloth. If you are selfish, and not willing to work with the families, it can hurt you. You will get families that will come in here that don't have it. If you say, 'Sorry, I can't help you,' they will go back out the door," noted Stradford.